Pinehurst, NC

J.D. Zumwalt spent a year in Vietnam before taking a sixteen year break in service.

During the break he worked as a police officer in Houston, Texas (Class 56), a tug boat pilot pushing barges in the intra-coastal canal, a firefighter and an EMT on an ambulance.

At the age of thirty-seven, he returned to the U.S. Army and served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, 5th Special Forces Group and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. During Desert Shield and Storm, he advised a Saudi Arabian Mechanized Brigade during combat. He retired from the U.S. Army after twenty years that included seventeen years of service in Army Special Operations units.

He served as a member of the original Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Task Force and continued as a member of the Joint IED Defeat Task Force (now Joint IED Defeat Organization – JIEDDO).

His duties included the investigation of dozens of catastrophic IED sites throughout Iraq and his assistance in developing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) to counter IED threats. His expertise includes Vehicle Borne IEDs, suicide bombers, roadside IEDs, coordinated IED attacks and flammable liquid IEDs. His experience has been gained by first hand observations.

He currently works with police agencies across the nation to inform them of current terrorist tactics.